Flat article vending machines of the type used to vend cards stickers, photographs and laminates typically are found in public locations such as stores, malls, etc. Flat article vending machines of conventional design are represented by U.S. Pat. No. 2,305,342 (Fry), U.S. Pat. No. 4,702,392 (Rachman), and U.S. Pat. No. 4,168,784 (Heier). Such machines comprise a cabinet with principal operational segments, a base enclosing one or more flat article storage hoppers and supporting the vend actuation mechanism (coin slide and ejector), an actuator (coin slide), a vended article outlet, and a display.
Conventional cabinets are formed from metal and include at least one compartment to accommodate the card-containing hopper which is typically seated on a tray associated with the dispensing actuator. The dispensing actuator embodies a retractable, spring actuated plate plunger that is designed to engage the edge of one flat article and force it through a corresponding slot in the from of the machine. The dispensing actuator is linked to an actuator enabler such as a coin slide that is mounted on the front of the cabinet which, upon deposit of appropriate coinage, releases a locking assembly to permit the plate plunger to be retracted and translated forwardly to push the flat article through the vending slot. The most common actuator enabler is a coin slide underlying dispensing opening and operatively engaged with the plate-plunger. The above-identified Rachman patent discloses a vending machine relying on a crank handle coin mechanism typically associated with conventional bulk vending machines. The actuating rotational force provided by a crank handle is converted to a translating force to cause reciprocation of the plunger and, consequently, vending of the flat article.
The idea of a flat article vending machine which provides convertibility between mechanical and electronically controlled vending, as well as a machine that permits cartridge style loading from the machine front, as well as facilitating display panel changes and which permits single machine or rack combination on racks with other machines (of the same or different types) appears to have escaped the industry.